Happy Thanksgiving!
Do you have anything to be thankful for today? I do. Have you ever struggled being thankful? I have. When you are thankful do you feel hopeful? I do. When you are in a situation when you do not feel thankful does it affect your whole life negatively. It did mine. Let me tell you how I learned to be thankful even when things were gloomy in my life.
As I dealt with the loss of my wife Laura, I really struggled with the concept of being thankful. I could not be thankful for the death of Laura. It took me a long time to separate her death from the circumstances of her death. God was not asking me to be thankful that she had died but God did ask me to be thankful in spite of the circumstance of her death. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (ESV)
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. And there was one thing I was able to be thankful for, Laura’s death on earth transported her to life in heaven where she was perfectly healed. Safe in the arms of Jesus she was free from all her anguish.
I found that there are good reasons for me to be thankful no matter my situation. Psalms 136:1-3 gives great reasons to be thankful, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;” Scripture tells me God is good, God is the God of gods, and that God is Lord of love, and this is all demonstrated by the fact that God’s steadfast love endures forever. I do not need any other reason than these to be thankful in all circumstances. How about you?
So, join me in giving thanks in all things because 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (ESV) I understand that it is not easy to do this but trust me it makes a difference because our source of hope is in Christ alone. Build a relationship with Jesus Christ through thanksgiving and you will have hope. He brings hope no matter what happens to us. He promises us, “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV) Then you will be prepared for anything which gives hope. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross satisfied the penalty for my sins and yours as well. It satisfied all my sins from the past, in the present and in the future. My penalty and yours was satisfied on the cross by the death of Jesus, God’s greatest act of love and wrath, who became sin for me and you. It was also God’s greatest act of faithfulness because “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV) Because wisdom shows us, we need to believe in Jesus. I hope that you join me in helping others to choose Jesus.
If you have not read my previous blogs, you can find them here.
You can find my book, Hope Amid Hopelessness: Our Abba Father Provides a Way Through Mental Illness here.
eBook or Audiobook versions can be found at Westbow Press or Christianbook.com at Amazon or Google.
